During a time when hundreds of prospective students are visiting the Tufts campus, University Facilities removed chalkings and other decorations promoting the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students. The move has sparked a controversy over students' right to free speech when that speech conflicts with the message the University wants to send its visitors.
While Tufts was erasing the chalkings, a number of students repeatedly painted over messages written on the cannon that espoused anti-gay beliefs.
A group of 20 students chalked throughout campus on Wednesday night, and placed rainbow ribbons in trees on the academic quad and banners on the quad outside Dewick-MacPhie. The goal of the campaign was to make prospective LGBT students aware of the support system and resources available at Tufts. The ribbons and banners were removed by Facilities after a phone call from an admissions officer.
LGBT students have questioned the University's actions, saying that their banners had good intentions.
"It was something that was good and welcoming, and there was no reason why it should have been taken down," said Angel Vail, the Tufts Transgenered, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective representative to the Tufts Community Union Senate.
"We wanted to welcome prospective students, and to let them know that queer students and their allies are welcome here," said Phil Anwar, the manager of the Rainbow House.
The request to erase the chalkings was made by admissions Office Manager Mary Grzyb when she arrived at work yesterday morning. "When I put on the lights I saw white chalk all over our red bricks and I thought that it didn't look very nice," she said. "I didn't even see what the message was."
Grzyb said she asked Facilities to clean up the chalkings because she thought they worsened the building's appearance during April Open House. "It was just a simple little thing... I didn't realize there was a problem," she said.
"It was not intended to be malicious, but it was the wrong thing to do, to change, alter, or erase someone's free speech," Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon said.
Reacting to the fast-spreading word that the decision to erase the chalkings came from the University, Vice President of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Mel Bernstein sent a letter to the editor to The Tufts Daily and apologized to the Tufts community for the action.
Dean of Admissions David Cuttino said he supports the students' chalkings because they allow prospective students to get a feel for campus issues. Cuttino said the incident has not had much of an effect on April Open House, but it will likely elicit questions from visiting high school students and their families.
"People will wonder what's going on, and we need to be prepared to answer questions for them," he said. "We want people to understand the things that go on on campus."
The LGBT community has not decided how it will respond to the removal of the chalkings, and representatives will try to meet with administrators over the next few days.
